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COUNTRIES SERVED BY THE WEST AFRICAN COURT OF APEAL AND THE PRIVY COUNCIL: NIGERIA
| Colonial Long Name: | Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria ((1914–1960) |
| Current Name | The Federal Republic of Nigeria |
| Empire: | British Empire |
| Government Type: | Colony and protectorate (1914–1954); Federation (1954–1960) |
| Colonial Capital: | Lagos |
| Current Capital | Federal Capital Territory, Abuja |
| Colonial National Anthem: | God Save the King/Queen |
| National Anthem | Nigeria, We Hail Thee (replacing “Arise O Compatriots”) |
| Common Languages: | English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, English and other regional languages |
| Religion: | Christianity, IslamTraditional beliefs |
| Colonial Currency: | British West African pound (1914–1958); Nigerian pound (1958–1960) |
| Current Currency | Naira |
| Colonial Political Leaders: | George V (1914–1936); Edward VIII (1936); George VI (1936–1952); Elizabeth II (1952–1960); |
| Colonial Governors | Sir Frederick Lugard (1914–1919); Sir Hugh Clifford (1919–1925); Sir John Stuart Macpherson (1948–1954); Sir James Wilson Robertson (1954–1960); |
| Colonial Legislature: | Legislative Council (1946–1951); House of Representative (1951–1960) |
| Drives On: | Left |
| Time Zone: | WAT |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
Summary of Colonial Nigeria
Colonial Nigeria, under British rule from the mid-19th century until independence on October 1, 1960, was formed through the gradual expansion of British influence. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1884, with its dominance acknowledged at the 1885 Berlin Conference. The Royal Niger Company, led by George Taubman Goldie, controlled much of the region from 1886 to 1899, signing treaties with local leaders for trade and governance. In 1900, the British Crown assumed control, merging the Northern and Southern Nigeria Protectorates and Lagos Colony into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria in 1914 under Governor Frederick Lugard. This amalgamation created a federation of three regions—Northern, Western, and Eastern—with significant regional autonomy.
British rule was autocratic and bureaucratic, initially employing indirect rule through local rulers, particularly in the Muslim-dominated North, where emirs were retained under British oversight. In the South, traditional rulers like Yoruba obas and appointed Igbo warrant chiefs were less effective, as Christianity and Western education undermined their authority. The British imposed a money-based economy and collected taxes with varying degrees of success. The economy relied on exports such as palm oil, cocoa, rubber, and tin, with infrastructure like railways and ports developed to facilitate trade. Oil exploration began in 1906 but was halted after 1912. An influenza pandemic in 1918 reportedly killed about 500,000 Nigerians.
During World Wars I and II, Nigerian troops served in British campaigns, a factor often credited with fueling post-war nationalist sentiments. Nationalism surged in the 1920s, driven by educated elites and organizations like the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), led by Herbert Macauley, and the National Youth Movement (NYM). Ethnic-based groups, such as the Igbo Federal Union and Egbe Omo Oduduwa (Yoruba), and political parties like the Action Group (Yoruba-led), Northern People’s Congress (NPC, Northern-focused), and National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC, Southern-dominated), shaped the political landscape. These groups often prioritized regional interests, intensifying ethnic rivalries.
Constitutional reforms from 1946 to 1954, including the Richards, Macpherson, and Lyttleton Constitutions, increased Nigerian representation and regional autonomy, ultimately paving the way for self-governance. The Western and Eastern regions became self-governing in 1957, followed by the Northern Region in 1959.
At the 1957–58 Lancaster House Conferences, Nigerian leaders, including Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (NPC), Obafemi Awolowo (Action Group), and Nnamdi Azikiwe (NCNC), negotiated independence. On October 1, 1960, Nigeria became independent, with Balewa as Prime Minister and Azikiwe as Governor-General. A 1961 plebiscite saw Southern Cameroons join Cameroon, while Northern Cameroons merged with Nigeria’s Northern Region.
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